A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience acute exacerbations characterized by elevated neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs. Currently, this condition is diagnosed through visual inspection of sputum color and volume, a method prone to personal bias and unsuitabl...

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Main Authors: Bartomeu Mestre, Nuria Toledo-Pons, Andreu Vaquer, Sofia Tejada, Antonio Clemente, Amanda Iglesias, Meritxell López, Ruth Engonga, Sabina Perelló, Borja G. Cosío, Roberto de la Rica
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Biosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/5/323
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author Bartomeu Mestre
Nuria Toledo-Pons
Andreu Vaquer
Sofia Tejada
Antonio Clemente
Amanda Iglesias
Meritxell López
Ruth Engonga
Sabina Perelló
Borja G. Cosío
Roberto de la Rica
author_facet Bartomeu Mestre
Nuria Toledo-Pons
Andreu Vaquer
Sofia Tejada
Antonio Clemente
Amanda Iglesias
Meritxell López
Ruth Engonga
Sabina Perelló
Borja G. Cosío
Roberto de la Rica
author_sort Bartomeu Mestre
collection DOAJ
description Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience acute exacerbations characterized by elevated neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs. Currently, this condition is diagnosed through visual inspection of sputum color and volume, a method prone to personal bias and unsuitable for patients who are unable to expectorate spontaneously. In this manuscript, we present a novel approach for measuring and monitoring exhaled myeloperoxidase (MPO), a biomarker of neutrophilic airway inflammation, without the need for sputum analysis. The method involves analyzing an unmodified surgical facemask worn by the patient for 30 min using biosensing decals that transfer antibody-coated nanoparticles. These colloids specifically interact with MPO trapped by the facemask in a dose-dependent manner, enabling the quantification of MPO levels, with a dynamic range up to 3 · 10<sup>1</sup> µg·mL<sup>−1</sup>. The proposed diagnostic approach successfully differentiated patients with acute exacerbations from stable patients with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Healthy individuals also showed significantly lower MPO levels compared to COPD patients. Our results suggest that facemask analysis could be a non-invasive diagnostic tool for airway diseases, particularly in patients unable to expectorate.
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spelling doaj-art-492d855079ee4c9f8e07334c8b474ef42025-08-20T03:47:48ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742025-05-0115532310.3390/bios15050323A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD PatientsBartomeu Mestre0Nuria Toledo-Pons1Andreu Vaquer2Sofia Tejada3Antonio Clemente4Amanda Iglesias5Meritxell López6Ruth Engonga7Sabina Perelló8Borja G. Cosío9Roberto de la Rica10Multidisciplinary Sepsis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainMultidisciplinary Sepsis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainMultidisciplinary Sepsis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainGroup of Innovation in Immunopathology of Infections (GTERi), Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainInflamación, Reparación y Cáncer en Enfermedades Respiratorias (I-RESPIRE) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainMultidisciplinary Sepsis Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, SpainPatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience acute exacerbations characterized by elevated neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs. Currently, this condition is diagnosed through visual inspection of sputum color and volume, a method prone to personal bias and unsuitable for patients who are unable to expectorate spontaneously. In this manuscript, we present a novel approach for measuring and monitoring exhaled myeloperoxidase (MPO), a biomarker of neutrophilic airway inflammation, without the need for sputum analysis. The method involves analyzing an unmodified surgical facemask worn by the patient for 30 min using biosensing decals that transfer antibody-coated nanoparticles. These colloids specifically interact with MPO trapped by the facemask in a dose-dependent manner, enabling the quantification of MPO levels, with a dynamic range up to 3 · 10<sup>1</sup> µg·mL<sup>−1</sup>. The proposed diagnostic approach successfully differentiated patients with acute exacerbations from stable patients with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Healthy individuals also showed significantly lower MPO levels compared to COPD patients. Our results suggest that facemask analysis could be a non-invasive diagnostic tool for airway diseases, particularly in patients unable to expectorate.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/5/323chronic obstructive pulmonary diseasebreathmyeloperoxidaseexacerbationbiosensor
spellingShingle Bartomeu Mestre
Nuria Toledo-Pons
Andreu Vaquer
Sofia Tejada
Antonio Clemente
Amanda Iglesias
Meritxell López
Ruth Engonga
Sabina Perelló
Borja G. Cosío
Roberto de la Rica
A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
Biosensors
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
breath
myeloperoxidase
exacerbation
biosensor
title A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
title_full A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
title_fullStr A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
title_full_unstemmed A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
title_short A Nanoparticle-Based Immunoassay on Facemasks for Evaluating Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation in COPD Patients
title_sort nanoparticle based immunoassay on facemasks for evaluating neutrophilic airway inflammation in copd patients
topic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
breath
myeloperoxidase
exacerbation
biosensor
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/5/323
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